Gerrit Cole is quickly becoming the king of New York … the king of excuses, that is.
The Yankees ace offered another odd complaint on Tuesday amid the team’s mediocre start to the 2022 season. Cole said that he had a hard time hearing signs during his Opening Day start because of the unique siren played at Yankee Stadium whenever there are two strikes on an opposing batter.
“It’s an interesting sound,” said Cole, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.
Yankee Stadium plays the Imperial alert from “Star Wars” on an every two-strike count for an opposing hitter. It is not a new practice though and has been going on since at least last year. Cole joined the Yankees prior to the 2020 season.
https://twitter.com/Yankeelibrarian/status/1486008532315037700
Cole’s complaint comes as the Yankees have started the season playing .500 ball, including losses in their last two contests. The four-time All-Star Cole himself also had a poor Opening Day outing against the Boston Red Sox, lasting just four innings and giving up three earned runs.
Cole might be right that the siren is annoying, as plenty of Yankees fans will probably agree with him. But complaining about it to the media after a bad start just makes him sound weak, especially since Cole gave another soft excuse for his lousy performance on the day it happened.
Photo: Feb 14, 2020; Tampa, Florida, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) throws during a spring training workout at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports
